Stupid Skybox Tricks, CNMI Video & New Idea
by Alan James · 04/07/2007 (9:23 pm) · 10 comments
Hi Everyone,
I'm apparently on some .Plan roll for the last few weeks, so bare with me, I'll get it out of my system.
I've been trying to modify a few of my skyboxes to include a bit more to add to the overall "full" feeling of my levels. This level in all reality probably won't end up in CNMI, but it's a fun one to use as a testbed for things. Here are a couple still screens from the level with the modified skybox:
I've also wanted to try out some FRAPS video ( I bought it a few months ago, but haven't really played around with it to much). So here is short video of some randomness from this same level:
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com/screens4/CNMI_FRAPS_040707.mpg
here's a avi/divx codec version:
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com/screens4/CNMI_FRAPS_040707.avi
Also, while messing around with 3DWS I kind of came up with an idea. I think I'm going to put together some content to toy with the idea of a side scroller TGB version of CNMI. What do you think:
Anyway, got at least that stuff out of my system...
- Alan
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com
I'm apparently on some .Plan roll for the last few weeks, so bare with me, I'll get it out of my system.
I've been trying to modify a few of my skyboxes to include a bit more to add to the overall "full" feeling of my levels. This level in all reality probably won't end up in CNMI, but it's a fun one to use as a testbed for things. Here are a couple still screens from the level with the modified skybox:
I've also wanted to try out some FRAPS video ( I bought it a few months ago, but haven't really played around with it to much). So here is short video of some randomness from this same level:
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com/screens4/CNMI_FRAPS_040707.mpg
here's a avi/divx codec version:
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com/screens4/CNMI_FRAPS_040707.avi
Also, while messing around with 3DWS I kind of came up with an idea. I think I'm going to put together some content to toy with the idea of a side scroller TGB version of CNMI. What do you think:
Anyway, got at least that stuff out of my system...
- Alan
www.reallyreallygoodthings.com
About the author
#2
If you really have no use for your test level, don't forget to drop me an email.
It would fit nicely in Darkwind with your other stuff (I'll use shortly 8-)).
Nice stuff as usual.
04/08/2007 (12:21 am)
a 2D CNMI nice idea Alan.If you really have no use for your test level, don't forget to drop me an email.
It would fit nicely in Darkwind with your other stuff (I'll use shortly 8-)).
Nice stuff as usual.
#3
04/08/2007 (1:00 am)
very nice look! 
#4
No need to apologise: keep 'em coming, good artwork is always interesting to see!
04/08/2007 (2:58 am)
Alan,No need to apologise: keep 'em coming, good artwork is always interesting to see!
#5
Are you out of your mind? I watched the video and it is, to date, the nicest level I've ever seen in a TGE application.
04/08/2007 (3:59 am)
Quote:
This level in all reality probably won't end up in CNMI
Are you out of your mind? I watched the video and it is, to date, the nicest level I've ever seen in a TGE application.
#6
i love the wet road :D
but u should disabable no render blablabl, i dont kno, i forgot the name but it makes that you cant see the fog so u can see ure buildings in your skybox, i think it will look better, this setting is in the sky entety i think, btw, if u use fog, change it to a color matching your skybox
anyway, greatwork ^^ :D
04/08/2007 (5:43 am)
looks really cooli love the wet road :D
but u should disabable no render blablabl, i dont kno, i forgot the name but it makes that you cant see the fog so u can see ure buildings in your skybox, i think it will look better, this setting is in the sky entety i think, btw, if u use fog, change it to a color matching your skybox
anyway, greatwork ^^ :D
#7
04/08/2007 (7:01 am)
looks very nice, I didn't check out the video though. I was wondering from that picture of the building with the fire in it are those windows ont he side of the building see through so you can see the fire? 
#8
I could not get the video to play for some reason so all I have to go on is the screens, but it looks like you have the backdrop building rendered into the sky box? Looks pretty good in the screens, but I have done that sort of thing in game dev and it always seems to work better if you have buffer zone between the play area and the edge of the world.
What I would suggest is to take and map some building textures to simple cubes and fill a zone of a couple of city blocks all the way around the levels play area with them.
To keep the player from exploring this area, you can set up concrete barricades or some such. It doesn't have to make perfect real world sense, world limits is an understood game convention that players are familiar with, it just has to fit in the world without breaking the mood or feel.
04/08/2007 (9:33 am)
Alan, interesting idea, and Looking great as always.I could not get the video to play for some reason so all I have to go on is the screens, but it looks like you have the backdrop building rendered into the sky box? Looks pretty good in the screens, but I have done that sort of thing in game dev and it always seems to work better if you have buffer zone between the play area and the edge of the world.
What I would suggest is to take and map some building textures to simple cubes and fill a zone of a couple of city blocks all the way around the levels play area with them.
To keep the player from exploring this area, you can set up concrete barricades or some such. It doesn't have to make perfect real world sense, world limits is an understood game convention that players are familiar with, it just has to fit in the world without breaking the mood or feel.
#9
Thanks for the encouraging comments, I love this community. I mean like brother/brother type thing, not a Spartan or Samurai thing...=)
@Tim
LOL. Possibly. That particular level "Colennar City Ruins" really doesn't fit in the gameflow of the single player version of CNMI. It would probably be in the multiplayer level cycle or such, it's just the scale of the city is too large for a small tropical island (even as a port city something).
I really appreciate the comments though, it does look good in play and definitely would be a level that would fit perfect for a sequel that's in the back of my head using TGEA...can we say Monster Planet? =)
@Todd.
Hmmm. I'll try another codec, I chose mpg since it seems so common. I'll try an avi, but with so many avi/divx etc. codecs floating around I though I was going to be better off with mpg. Go figure.
Regarding what you mentioned. Yes that's pretty much the plan for that level. In fact the all the buildings are very basic, but the only problem with them at the moment is that the textures are huge. And I'm not exagerating when I say that. Right now some are 2048x1024 and that can burn up video memory pretty fast. There is a couple dozen that circle the area I want to keep the player in and they there is dirt banks, brick walls, broken buildings that will keep the player where I want him with still a lot of area to explore.
@Florian
Great input. Yes, I want a mist/fog pretty heavy and drifting with the distant buildings looking "ghostly". You are right again on the fog color, I just get so focused on some things that you miss the details that flesh it all out now and again.
@J Sears
There are no transparent portions. I could do it with DTS objects, and might at some point. The building is damaged and there is a detail shot of it at the end of this thread:
www.garagegames.com/blogs/45734/12639
I lost my transparent DIFs about a dozen builds back (it's way to hard to get it to work for me with a lot of the other graphics modifications I've put in, i.e. DRL, then the GLSL port, etc.). I also had some weird sorting errors with it also.
- Alan
04/08/2007 (1:04 pm)
@AllThanks for the encouraging comments, I love this community. I mean like brother/brother type thing, not a Spartan or Samurai thing...=)
@Tim
LOL. Possibly. That particular level "Colennar City Ruins" really doesn't fit in the gameflow of the single player version of CNMI. It would probably be in the multiplayer level cycle or such, it's just the scale of the city is too large for a small tropical island (even as a port city something).
I really appreciate the comments though, it does look good in play and definitely would be a level that would fit perfect for a sequel that's in the back of my head using TGEA...can we say Monster Planet? =)
@Todd.
Hmmm. I'll try another codec, I chose mpg since it seems so common. I'll try an avi, but with so many avi/divx etc. codecs floating around I though I was going to be better off with mpg. Go figure.
Regarding what you mentioned. Yes that's pretty much the plan for that level. In fact the all the buildings are very basic, but the only problem with them at the moment is that the textures are huge. And I'm not exagerating when I say that. Right now some are 2048x1024 and that can burn up video memory pretty fast. There is a couple dozen that circle the area I want to keep the player in and they there is dirt banks, brick walls, broken buildings that will keep the player where I want him with still a lot of area to explore.
@Florian
Great input. Yes, I want a mist/fog pretty heavy and drifting with the distant buildings looking "ghostly". You are right again on the fog color, I just get so focused on some things that you miss the details that flesh it all out now and again.
@J Sears
There are no transparent portions. I could do it with DTS objects, and might at some point. The building is damaged and there is a detail shot of it at the end of this thread:
www.garagegames.com/blogs/45734/12639
I lost my transparent DIFs about a dozen builds back (it's way to hard to get it to work for me with a lot of the other graphics modifications I've put in, i.e. DRL, then the GLSL port, etc.). I also had some weird sorting errors with it also.
- Alan
#10
09/16/2007 (2:02 pm)
Nice look on the containers.
Torque Owner Travis Wood